Tim Tebow Is A Jet! Sean Payton Suspended For 2012! WTF Just Happened?

I walked away from my computer for a few hours, only to come back and hear that Tim Tebow is now a member of the New York Jets, and New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton has been suspended for the 2012 NFL season. Did this really just happen? Or has the entire internet world come together to play an evil trick on me?

I mean, if you told me that Sean Payton had been suspended for two games and Tebow was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 5th-round pick, I would probably be looking for some crazy amateur video right now instead of writing this. But that is not what happened. Tebow is now a Jet, Payton is done for the season, and now would probably be a good time to provide the rest of the details.

Starting with Tebow, he was shipped to the Jets along with a 7th-round pick in exchange for a 4th-round pick and a 6th-round pick. An interesting deal, to say the least, considering the fact that the Jets have just signed Mark Sanchez to a lucrative 3-year-contract with $20-million in guaranteed money, and many experts were hinting that Tebow could be had for a 5th-round pick.

As for Sean Payton, he was handed a one-year suspension without pay for his involvement in the bounty programs put in place by Saints’ defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, which awarded defensive players with $1,500 for a “knockout hit” and $1,000 for a “cart-off hit.” Williams has been suspended indefinitely, while Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was suspended for eight games, and assistant coach Joe Vitt was suspended for six games.

During the league’s investigation, which involved interviews with individuals involved in the program, they found that the program existed for at least three seasons and at times targeted specific players, including Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton and Brett Favre. At times during the playoffs, the rewards would double or triple.

While many may believe that the penalties are awfully harsh, it is simply Roger Goodell’s attempt to warn the league that “bounty programs have no place in (the NFL)” and that “they are incompatible with our efforts to promote sportsmanship, fair play, and player safety.” I think the entire league got his point after today’s ruling.